Help Create LifeBooks for Foster Kids

By Jennifer Pierce, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Hundreds of Oklahoma children are put in the state's foster care program every year. They are taken from their homes and left with few memories.

But you can provide foster children with something that can capture their cherished memories for a lifetime.

Jake Lenhart and his wife Tiffanie have opened their hearts and home to two Department of Human Services foster children.

"We felt really called that that was part of our Christian duty to do that," Jake said.

Before the tiny laughter filled their home, they went through a class that opened their eyes to the lives of foster children. Many times, the kids are taken from their homes with nothing but the clothes on their back.

"A lot of these children struggle with a sense of identity of who they are because they've lost everything that is familiar to them. They've lost their family their belongings," Tiffanie said.

As the Lenhart family looks back on the memories they've made through the years, they know lots of foster children do not have pictures to remind them of the good times.

That's why the Department of Human Services is calling volunteers to make LifeBooks, or scrapbooks the kids can take with them as they go from placement to placement.

"It's something you can get together as a family and do, something you can do in front of the TV or watching a movie, or just do in your free time," Jake said.

The Lenharts got a church group together one weekend and made 60 LifeBooks. They encourage others to do the same.

"Not everyone can take these children into their home, they can't love them day after day but people who like to scrap book can make these kids feel loved," Tiffanie said.

The siblings won't be with the Lenharts for much longer, but they will have something to remind them of their time together. If you want to make a LifeBook, contact DHS to learn more about the program.